Power fastener drivers for driving collated fastener strips have a number of uses in the construction industry. Examples of such power drive fastener drivers are shown in include U.S. Pat. No. 5,568,753 to Habermehl, issued Oct. 29, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,933 to Habermehl, issued Feb. 16, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,570,618 to Habermehl et al., issued Nov. 5, 1996 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,862,963 issued Mar. 8, 2005. Additional examples of such systems are commercially available under the name QuikDrive® from Simpson Strong Tie Inc, Pleasanton, Calif.
Certain types of powered fastener drivers utilize an automatic feed fastener driver in which a housing is secured to a power driver. The housing includes a fastener feed channel to receive the fastener strips holding a plurality of fastener s. The fastener s held in the fastener strips are advanced sequentially to a point where each successive fastener to be driven is coaxially arranged within a bore of a guide tube in line with a driver shaft. Pressure applied by the user in conjunction with the application of power to the driver allows the fastener to be driven into the workpiece.
Normally, the fasteners are held by the fastener strips until driven into the workpiece.
These prior art auto feed fastener drivers provide for various linkages between the driver body and the housing such that on reciprocal telescopic sliding of the slide body into and out of the housing between extended and retracted positions, the linkages cause automatic advance of the fastener strip in the feed guide channel.
Known power driven systems generally have an open end though which the fasteners advance into the work piece. In certain applications, greater accuracy than available using current power driven fastener drivers is required. Installers may need to find a particular pre-drilled hole. Currently, users place a fastener gun over the hole and “hope for the best.”